Hall & Oates: Together in their own separate ways

June 23, 2011|By Allison Stewart, Special to the Tribune

Hall & Oates play Ravinia on Sunday night.

Unless they're on tour together, Daryl Hall and John Oates don't see each other much these days. Both are busy with solo projects: Oates, who lives in Aspen, Colo., recently released the roots disc "Mississippi Mile"; Hall, who lives outside of New York City, just completed his first studio solo release since 1996, "Laughing Down Crying" (which will likely be released this fall) and hosts the Internet show "Live From Daryl's House," which will soon become a syndicated television show.

The duo, who were interviewed separately, talk about each other with a vague sort of fondness, as you might a distant relative you've always liked but haven't seen in a while. Despite the enduring, genre-smashing popularity of Hall & Oates, who are beloved by rappers, hipsters and '80s revival acts alike, both men seem certain of only one thing: Hall & Oates as a recording entity is pretty much finished.

Some highlights:

On whether Hall has heard Oates' solo material:

Oates: He's probably not very interested in it. He's very focused on what he's doing. He's got an Internet television show, he's got his solo album. … I doubt that he's focusing on my album.

Hall: I think that John (has been) searching for his musical identity for so long that I think it's very refreshing to hear him do things that I know he's good at. People don't realize what a good guitar player he is, because he doesn't do what he's greatest at. ... He's a great finger picker.

On whether Oates ever gets together with Art Garfunkel to complain about being the underrated half of a famous duo:

Oates: (Pause) No.

On reclaiming their individual identities:

Oates: When I first started my solo stuff, audiences were yelling (for me to play "Maneater"), but they don't do that anymore. I don't try to deny my past because I'm very proud of it, but at the same time I'm doing something different and the true Hall & Oates fans have begun to recognize that.

Hall: I've been the victim over the years of being part of a successful brand, and whenever we deviate from that it tends to confuse people. Having a solo career is a funny thing. I think having started "Live From Daryl's House" gave me a sense of identity that is bigger than just putting out a solo record. ... I'm comfortable with many different styles. I can make anything work. … It's absolutely life-changing. I've always been a guy who likes to stretch my limits, to find out if I have any, really.

On whether they feel that their solo material is expected to sound like Hall & Oates:

Oates: I think people don't really have an expectation of what I'm going to do, so anything I do I can get away with, as long as it's good.

Hall: Believe it or not, because Hall & Oates was my own style, I don't think that way so much. But I will say some of the songs on this (new solo) record, they're very '80s sounding and I actually said, "Well, let's go for that." I'm not going to fear the '80s. I like what I did in the '80s.

On the continuing success of Hall & Oates:

Hall: Everything surprises me and nothing surprises me. Success and failure are equally surprising. ... I knew that I would be making music for my whole life; as far as how many people respond to it, you can't plan for that.

On the future of Hall & Oates:

Oates: I have no idea if and when we'll make an album again. I have no plans to make an album with Daryl. ... I feel like I spent a lifetime as part of this group and I'm very proud of it, and I'm very happy to play these songs because people love them and I still love them. But at the same time, I really don't want to continue my life in that place. I've moved on to a whole new place.

Hall: Hall & Oates is a shared past. And I continue to do that live because when we play live we play the music of our shared past. But I don't think Hall & Oates has a creative present or, at least not right now, much of a creative future. I think we're very content being ourselves. We were together for a long time, and I think we're very content being individuals.

On whether they're like an old married couple:

Oates: We're like brothers. We don't need to see each other. We don't need to hang out. We do what we do and we have fun doing it, and we lead our separate lives.

Hall: We're more like a divorced couple that likes to hang out together.